Yep definitely on all points. It's been an awesome car for my wife and has saved us a bunch of money.

I think the only other things I didn't mention in this thread are new tires, brakes and an LCA busing. So we're somewhere in the $1k/year range including purchase price.

_________________

95 SLE... a keeper. 241k miles. Low and Slow.
97 BMW 528i
98 Infiniti vq35'd i30: 13.3@104mph, 30MPG Hwy (RIP)
02 Jag X-type
03 BMW M5
05 Chevy Cobalt LS
07 Infiniti G35s 6MT (Sold)
07 Ducati Monster S2R 800 with DS1000 swap
83 Yamaha IT175K
72 Yamaha DS7: '74 RD250 swap, JL chambers

Info on dropping a 92-99: Here.

That's such a good feeling!

That's how the Bonneville has been for me. Everyone at work drives fancy new stuff and they're paying upwards of $500 a month in some cases. Meanwhile, I usually spend that much on the Bonneville in a year doing random medium sized batches of maintenance.

_________________
-Car Guy Carl
"Penelope" - 2003 SLE - 247k Miles
"Sydney" - 2000 Honda S2000 - 98k miles

The headliner in the X-type gave up about this time last year. The handles and overhead light kept it in place until now but it was time to get this sorted.

On the last headliner I did for the Bonneville, I used a plastic base and plaster to make molds to help weigh down the hard to stick areas. This time I used saran wrap and air dry clay to make molds of these areas. The air dry clay is less messy and easier to work with by a large margin but it takes 2-3 days to cure.











Before and After





There are some imperfections here and there but none you can notice while installed.

_________________

95 SLE... a keeper. 241k miles. Low and Slow.
97 BMW 528i
98 Infiniti vq35'd i30: 13.3@104mph, 30MPG Hwy (RIP)
02 Jag X-type
03 BMW M5
05 Chevy Cobalt LS
07 Infiniti G35s 6MT (Sold)
07 Ducati Monster S2R 800 with DS1000 swap
83 Yamaha IT175K
72 Yamaha DS7: '74 RD250 swap, JL chambers

Info on dropping a 92-99: Here.

The fuel pump I put in earlier this year seemed to have an issue with its internal check valve since the car wouldn't hold a prime or hold pressure after the car is shut off. This was making for intermittent and then constant hard starts. I decided to buy another Delphi but return the old one (Amazon) and put it in before the car got shipped to Cali. On first start up it help prime and the hard starting went away. Then it came back slowly so I shot gunned some parts at it before it left. It's a return-less system with a fuel pump driver, fuel rail pressure senor and no FPR. I shot gunned the module and sensor. I also opted to do the battery since it's old and had died over the past winter.

The hard starts are coming back but now they're 3k miles away from me. The wife and car are in Cali and I'll still be based in Philly for a while. I'm not looking to try a 3rd pump and from a non-OEM supplier at that. It's not worth the effort on a borrowed garage floor without my tools. A buddy suggested that if I can safely pinch the fuel line to do so with the car running then key off and see if it changes the bleed-off characteristics at all. If it doesn't, it's leaky injectors. But I'm not convinced that's the issue since the car runs great and there's no stumbling when it starts.

On return systems people use external in-line check valves when their pump check valve fails. On a returnless system you can't do that since it'll trap fuel at the rail.. which can heat and over pressurize. There's a point where the injectors won't open if there's too much pressure built up.

I thought why not put a check valve (1) in with a pressure regulated bypass so that the rail pressure can bleed off? It's the same concept as a return system but the bypass would have a FPR and an additional check valve (2)(opposite direction) to bleed off any pressure trapped by the first check valve. The second check valve in the bypass loop would keep the wrong side of the FPR from being pressurized as well. Ideally you want the check valve close to the tank but I didn't feel ok with having a bunch of additional connections and a FPR exposed to rocks etc. under the car. There's a nylon supply line in the engine bay that goes to the rail and is removable with quick connects. I'm going to build the check valve/ FPR bypass scenario from a spare line and bring it with me to install when I get out to Cali next. This will also allow me to go back to stock in 10 mins if need be. Everything is ordered. I stayed away from no-name Chinesium FPRs and check valves mainly because it's the wife's car. I could have saved $80 by using a stock FPR of some sort but I didn't like the idea of dead heading the FPR when the pump pressure is higher than the potentially lower stock FPR set point. The 2nd check valve on the outlet side of the FPR would be shut from supply pressure. With a good adjustable FPR, I can adjust it so it'll bleed down when the residual rail pressure exceeds the max running pressure (key off).

It'll be a neat little mini project. I wish I had the time before to think of and execute this because it wouldn't take very long. For now the car takes a couple extra cranks to start but starts every time. Hopefully the stock 80k mile starter hangs out till I move there.

Otherwise the car made the transit relatively unscathed. There were a mess of new scratches on the roof but I buffed it all out by hand. The paint on this car is the most forgiving I've ever touched.

_________________

95 SLE... a keeper. 241k miles. Low and Slow.
97 BMW 528i
98 Infiniti vq35'd i30: 13.3@104mph, 30MPG Hwy (RIP)
02 Jag X-type
03 BMW M5
05 Chevy Cobalt LS
07 Infiniti G35s 6MT (Sold)
07 Ducati Monster S2R 800 with DS1000 swap
83 Yamaha IT175K
72 Yamaha DS7: '74 RD250 swap, JL chambers

Info on dropping a 92-99: Here.

So, the check valve fuel pressure regulator bypass setup works. Fuel pressure is doing exactly what I want now. It primes, holds, has good working pressure, holds pressure after the engine is off and the FPR is set to just above running pressure so it can bleed off when required.

_________________

95 SLE... a keeper. 241k miles. Low and Slow.
97 BMW 528i
98 Infiniti vq35'd i30: 13.3@104mph, 30MPG Hwy (RIP)
02 Jag X-type
03 BMW M5
05 Chevy Cobalt LS
07 Infiniti G35s 6MT (Sold)
07 Ducati Monster S2R 800 with DS1000 swap
83 Yamaha IT175K
72 Yamaha DS7: '74 RD250 swap, JL chambers

Info on dropping a 92-99: Here.

Back in late December '19 the AEM FPR started to leak where the diaphragm is held in place between the 2 FPR body halves. There was no visible damage to the diaphragm when I took it apart. It may have been as simple as the allen bolts loosening. I've read that's a common failure on aftermarket FPRs in general. I decided to replace the FPR with a pricier Aeromotive unit, p/n 13109. No issues one year and 8k later.

It's been pretty good overall, just oil changes, a set of tires and an alignment recently.

After the last oil change the car smelled like it was burning oil from the engine bay after long drives. I'm fairly certain it was just the o-ring on the CPS so I replaced it. I also noticed a few connection points around the thermostat housing were seeping and the assembly would need to be replaced eventually. Well, the overflow tank started to leak a week or so later and that prompted me to get those leaks taken care of at the same time.



The upper hose assembly Jag sells comes 2 upper hoses, an upper tube, thermostat housing with seal to the engine and thermostat. In my case the seal to the engine, thermostat to housing seal and thermostat to oil cooler hose connections were seeping. Jag only sells the thermostat to oil cooler hose/hard line/hose assembly for ~$150 and URO sells just the rubber hoses + clamps for ~$50. I don't really trust URO and didn't want to spend $150 for 6" of hose and an aluminum tube that doesn't need replacing. When the upper hose assembly arrived I measured the thermostat flange, looked up hoses with the same ID (1.42ish") on Gates' website and found a simple EPDM hose I could cut to fit. It's $12, 2 feet long and works perfectly.

The process is pretty simple to replace the upper hose assembly with a couple of exceptions. The first problem I ran into was the 2 thermostat housing studs from the engine point the housing right into the driver's side fan. I couldn't remove the housing without taking out the top stud. After that, it slid out easy. Kind of dumb but whatever. The other issue I ran into was the bracket that sandwiches the thermostat housing to the engine interfered with raised sections on the new housing. I removed some material from the bracket with a mini belt sander to clearance it. I honestly removed a little more than I needed but it works. I'm not sure if this is an '02 MY thing or why it would have changed.

Here's the modified bracket, modded bracket on the old housing, and modded bracket on the new housing:





Before/after:

_________________

95 SLE... a keeper. 241k miles. Low and Slow.
97 BMW 528i
98 Infiniti vq35'd i30: 13.3@104mph, 30MPG Hwy (RIP)
02 Jag X-type
03 BMW M5
05 Chevy Cobalt LS
07 Infiniti G35s 6MT (Sold)
07 Ducati Monster S2R 800 with DS1000 swap
83 Yamaha IT175K
72 Yamaha DS7: '74 RD250 swap, JL chambers

Info on dropping a 92-99: Here.

Once again, the interweb pays for itself. Nicely done.

_________________

Resident Tightwad

Screw you, Photobucket.

Yessir. Thanks. I was happy I found something because it's a year/make/model nightmare otherwise. I never go to a parts store without a part number.

_________________

95 SLE... a keeper. 241k miles. Low and Slow.
97 BMW 528i
98 Infiniti vq35'd i30: 13.3@104mph, 30MPG Hwy (RIP)
02 Jag X-type
03 BMW M5
05 Chevy Cobalt LS
07 Infiniti G35s 6MT (Sold)
07 Ducati Monster S2R 800 with DS1000 swap
83 Yamaha IT175K
72 Yamaha DS7: '74 RD250 swap, JL chambers

Info on dropping a 92-99: Here.

Sometimes it's the little things.

_________________

95 SLE... a keeper. 241k miles. Low and Slow.
97 BMW 528i
98 Infiniti vq35'd i30: 13.3@104mph, 30MPG Hwy (RIP)
02 Jag X-type
03 BMW M5
05 Chevy Cobalt LS
07 Infiniti G35s 6MT (Sold)
07 Ducati Monster S2R 800 with DS1000 swap
83 Yamaha IT175K
72 Yamaha DS7: '74 RD250 swap, JL chambers

Info on dropping a 92-99: Here.

Did you repair it or replace it?

_________________

Resident Tightwad

Screw you, Photobucket.

I went to pry it out to fix the spring and the 19 year old plastic started to crack. So I found a pair for cheap on ebay and replaced them. The pair I got cost as much as the closest single and they're less faded than the originals so they match. That was unintentional but it worked out.

_________________

95 SLE... a keeper. 241k miles. Low and Slow.
97 BMW 528i
98 Infiniti vq35'd i30: 13.3@104mph, 30MPG Hwy (RIP)
02 Jag X-type
03 BMW M5
05 Chevy Cobalt LS
07 Infiniti G35s 6MT (Sold)
07 Ducati Monster S2R 800 with DS1000 swap
83 Yamaha IT175K
72 Yamaha DS7: '74 RD250 swap, JL chambers

Info on dropping a 92-99: Here.

We decided to take a family trip with this to the Laguna Mountains about an hour away this past weekend to be snow tourists. Even though the roads were basically clear, the condition was R2, or 4wd with snow tires (or carry one set of chains) required. The X-type is AWD with a viscous center coupling, new good all seasons and has generally kicked as s in the snow back in PA. So, I only really had to worry about other people.





Now that we're carting around our son in the car, it's another layer of nostalgia. My parents took me to my HS graduation in this car when it was new in '02, it was my wife's 1st car, it's seen 2 coasts, we took our son home from the hospital in it and now we're using it for small family trips. I feel like cars seeing that type of multi-generational use is rare anymore and it'll be cool to look back on.

_________________

95 SLE... a keeper. 241k miles. Low and Slow.
97 BMW 528i
98 Infiniti vq35'd i30: 13.3@104mph, 30MPG Hwy (RIP)
02 Jag X-type
03 BMW M5
05 Chevy Cobalt LS
07 Infiniti G35s 6MT (Sold)
07 Ducati Monster S2R 800 with DS1000 swap
83 Yamaha IT175K
72 Yamaha DS7: '74 RD250 swap, JL chambers

Info on dropping a 92-99: Here.

Little dude looks right comfy all papoosed up! Someday he'll make his own snowman. Maybe he'll drive the Jag to his prom - the way you treat cars that thing will still be around then.

And I see the barbed-wire fence didn't deter anyone from getting out there in the snow. LOL!!!

_________________

Resident Tightwad

Screw you, Photobucket.

Haha, we'll see on how much longer. It didn't escape the northeast without some rust underneath.

There were no trespassing signs all along that fence too. Lol. Snow rules = no rules.

_________________

95 SLE... a keeper. 241k miles. Low and Slow.
97 BMW 528i
98 Infiniti vq35'd i30: 13.3@104mph, 30MPG Hwy (RIP)
02 Jag X-type
03 BMW M5
05 Chevy Cobalt LS
07 Infiniti G35s 6MT (Sold)
07 Ducati Monster S2R 800 with DS1000 swap
83 Yamaha IT175K
72 Yamaha DS7: '74 RD250 swap, JL chambers

Info on dropping a 92-99: Here.

In the modified words of Dark Helmet, "Eh...trespass THIS!"

_________________

Resident Tightwad

Screw you, Photobucket.

This one was pretty annoying but my stubborness prevailed.

The driver's side rear door handle started to stick recently. I blew white lithium grease at the hinges as best as I could but it didn't help much. Today it was at the point where the door wouldn't latch after it's shut unless the handle was manually shut from the outside.

When I took it apart it was obvious that the hinge shaft had rusted and it's the source of the binding. The shaft rotates with the handle but the shaft also rotates at either side inside the plastic ears connected to the base. I tried to poking and prodding around the to areas the shaft rotates while dousing with white lithium grease and rotating the handle from the base. I did this multiple times no change. Then I tried penetrating oil with the same result.. I tried drilling down to the shaft in between where the handle and base plastic ears meet on the hinge and dosing that with penetrating oil but still no luck. Finally I decided to drill down to the shaft in the middle of the plastic ears they rotate in, blow out the debris with brake clean and then soak those holes in penetrating oil.. and after some rotating of the handle, it worked. It was finally able to spring back on it's own. I blew some white lithium in those holes after that, worked it around a ton then slapped grease over the holes and all over the hinge to finish it off. I guess worst case, if I couldn't find a color matched replacement, I could have replaced the shaft itself. But, that's a messy process and leaning a lot on 20 year old plastic. I was happy to fix what I have.

_________________

95 SLE... a keeper. 241k miles. Low and Slow.
97 BMW 528i
98 Infiniti vq35'd i30: 13.3@104mph, 30MPG Hwy (RIP)
02 Jag X-type
03 BMW M5
05 Chevy Cobalt LS
07 Infiniti G35s 6MT (Sold)
07 Ducati Monster S2R 800 with DS1000 swap
83 Yamaha IT175K
72 Yamaha DS7: '74 RD250 swap, JL chambers

Info on dropping a 92-99: Here.

It's always better to salvage parts that came with the car, I think. With the old iron we tend to have, sometimes that's more of a necessity than a desire.

_________________

Resident Tightwad

Screw you, Photobucket.

This car came home with a misfire and loss of power a few days ago.. My wife needed to drive it about 75 miles the following day. This was good or bad timing depending on how you look at it.

I pulled codes and it had a bank 1 misfire. I was too lazy to confirm what bank was 1 but hoped (wrong) it was the front bank. I pulled the airbox and bulb tested all 3 coils. They where all fine. I got the google machine out and confirmed bank 1 was the rear.. Since the intake manifold blocks all 3 rear coils there's no quick way to test them while the engine is running. So, I pulled the IM, swapped the coils front/rear then bulb tested the coils which were previously in the rear. Turns out the rear center, No. 3, was dead. I'm not one for aftermarket ignition products but given the circumstances I picked up a Car Quest coil locally. That fixed the problem for now. I picked up used OEM coils afterwards I'll test resistance on and swap in at some point. I was actually able to get this all done from pulling codes to test driving in about 2 hours. That's not lightning speed for my mechanic buddies but it's plenty fast for me.

_________________

95 SLE... a keeper. 241k miles. Low and Slow.
97 BMW 528i
98 Infiniti vq35'd i30: 13.3@104mph, 30MPG Hwy (RIP)
02 Jag X-type
03 BMW M5
05 Chevy Cobalt LS
07 Infiniti G35s 6MT (Sold)
07 Ducati Monster S2R 800 with DS1000 swap
83 Yamaha IT175K
72 Yamaha DS7: '74 RD250 swap, JL chambers

Info on dropping a 92-99: Here.

Didn't realize you still had the Jag.

_________________

Resident Tightwad

Screw you, Photobucket.

Yep, going on 6 years now as my wife's DD. It's sitting at 103k miles now (from 67k) with about 20k of those miles being from Cali. It wasn't cheap to ship it to/from Cali but likely cheaper for something comparable with an unknown service history.

_________________

95 SLE... a keeper. 241k miles. Low and Slow.
97 BMW 528i
98 Infiniti vq35'd i30: 13.3@104mph, 30MPG Hwy (RIP)
02 Jag X-type
03 BMW M5
05 Chevy Cobalt LS
07 Infiniti G35s 6MT (Sold)
07 Ducati Monster S2R 800 with DS1000 swap
83 Yamaha IT175K
72 Yamaha DS7: '74 RD250 swap, JL chambers

Info on dropping a 92-99: Here.